Curtain-window.



lVj. PIANKO. CURTAIN wlwnowf APPucAnon man mv 9. um.'

Patent@ Jan., 15, 1918.

:unan-nr. Praiano, or cnica'eo, immers.

CURTAIN-IWINDQW.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pgaitemltd Jaim, i5, llgljll To all whom i; mag/concern: I

Be it known that I, MEN-DEL PIANKo, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of- Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Curtain-Vliidows, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in curtain lights or windows, and partielllarly of the type designed for use in providing-transparent sections in curtains 'or' similar protectors for automobiles or other vehicles.

. furnish light to the interior and permit vision therethrough. It has been, and is now customary to make such transparent sections, which will be hereinafter termed lights, of Celluloid, stitched or otherwise secured to the curtain to close appropriate openings therein. As practically all such curtains are designed to be rolled or folded when not in use, the lights of the present type have proven objectionable, in that such material, when used in the' present manner, soon deteriorates and cracks or breaks, resulting in an unsightly appearance and requiring the additional expenseof renewal. Such lights as are' now used, inorder to ,permit a rolling or folding without breakage at once, are made of Celluloid of comparative thickness and treated with oil, usually castor oil. This oil has the eiiect to prevent breaking for a short period,but

in the end tends to the very effect sought to be avoided. The oil, not only tends to discolor the material and thereby interfere thereto to produce a superior article, both as with its transparency, but will freeze under coldweather, and thereby aid in the cracking or breaking of the light. Furthermore,

the necessarily comparative thickness of the lights,'to further assist resistance to cracking or breaking, as was thought, also tends to this very result, as in bending, one surface of the light must necessarily stretch farther than the other, in direct proportion to the thickness, hence cracking or breaking the light. Therefore, the oil-treated, comparatively thick lights of celluloid have proven very objectionable for vehicle curtains or the like, land have been a constant source of annoyance and expense.

The present invention aims to overcome all-theneted.. objections, and in addition to transparency and, practically continuous use Without breaking or cracking. s,

The lights of the present invention, in

the broad and general scope of their manufacture, are to be constructed oftwo or more very. thin sheets of celluloid, using a material which has not been oil treated. The

thinrslieets effectively reinforce each other,

when bending, and by the comparatively slight difference in lthe stretching distance of the opposite sides of each sheet in bending,

.there is little or no tendency to break o1' l crack,l l In vehicle curtainsit. is limportant that some transparent lsections be provided, to

In a more specific form the invention contemplates the use of a thin layer or sheet of gelatin, clear and transparent, between, and preferably uniting, the sheets of celliiloid T he gelatin permits ythe necessary flexibility and yielding of the sheets independently to avoid breaking, while yet uniting the sheets intowhat may be considered a unitary structure.-

T'lie invention will be described in the fol lowing speciication, reference being had -there to the accompanyingv drawings. in

which Figure l is a broken elevation. showing a curtain with the improved light' in place.

Fig.2 is a sectional view 'of the saine, the independent sections of the Celluloid being particularly illustrated.

F ig. 3 is a sectional view of a modied form of light, wherein gelatin is. used between the sheets of Celluloid.

The curtain, indicated at l, represents anv type of vehicle protecting section, which il', designed to be rolled or folded when desired. The lights, of which there may be any number, and which may be of any size or shape, are transparent sections 2, of a material which will permit such rolling or folding, with such sections secured by marginal stitching 3, to the curtain material, to close an opening therein.

10Uv Heretofore suoli lights have been made v`of i Celluloid, as this material more nearly pos sesses the desired characteristicsf,` The present invention contemplates the'use of the same material, but in very thin sheets, and' ed wit/h l `cold weather, and therefore increase the tendency of the light to crack or break. The thin sheets do not require oil treatment, hence. their transparency is practically uniformly permanent, and the thin nature of the sheets results in practically a uniform stretching of both surfaces of each sheet in bending with materially less liability to crack or break from this cause. Again the sheets reinforce each other in bending to prevent undue movement of one over the other, and thus' life is added to the light. In an emeriffgeiicy, the breaking of one sheet, will not interfere withtlie lusual protection of the light, as` such vbroken sheet may be trimmed away, leavingafsingle sheet capable for a time of allnecessary functions.

As an important and essential feature of the present invention, and to materially strengthen the necessarily thin sheets of Celluloid, the use of a section of cleartransparent gelatin 6 between such sheets of celluloid is contemplated. r[he gelatin, as it is perfectly fiexible without breaking will materiallv strengthen the Celluloid sheet contract-ion and acti as a reinforce againstthe breaking or cracking of such Celluloid sheets ture or water, its soluble agent, bythe overlying sheets of Celluloid, such gelatin Will re main intact, and with the Celluloid sheets will form a window or'liglit that will not crack or break and will remain permanently transparent.

Furthermore, the invention contemplates where excessive strength of the light is desired, the placing of a netting sheet or strip between the Celluloid sheets, and while perfeet transparency would be somewhat inipaired by this construction, still vision may be readily had from within the vehicle, owing to the increased light outside, and the window is. practically indestructible. lt is not deemed necessary to illustrate this particular lform herein.`

What is claimed, is

l. A curtain light made of a plurality of thin sheets of celluloid united by the means for securing the light to thel curtain' andv otherwise i free of connection.

:2. A curtain light made of a lplurality of thin sheets of Celluloid united by the means for securing the light to the curtain and otherwise free of connection, and an interposed sheet of gelatin.

3. A flexible light made up of a plurality of thin transparent flexible sections secured together and to the curtains adjacent their edges, the sections being permitted independent yielding throughout their transparent area.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

MENDEL PANKO. 

